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$15m myki cards set to be pulped

Clay Lucas

Melbourne will be one of the world's only cities where visitors and occasional users cannot buy a short-term ticket.

FIFTY million paper myki cards in storage will never be used, after the Baillieu government decision to dump all short-term tickets when the Metcard system is shut down.

The government has confirmed it owns the single-use paper tickets, which are on hundreds of pallets in warehouses in Altona and Rowville.

The tickets - designed as single-use myki fares for people who did not have a permanent plastic smartcard, and did not want to spend $10 buying one - have a microchip. Each ticket cost taxpayers 31¢, or about $15 million in total.

In June Premier Ted Baillieu - acting on advice in a report by consultants Deloitte that has been kept secret - said short-term tickets would be eliminated when Metcard was switched off. Myki and Metcard are now both valid for travel in Melbourne.

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But at the end of next year permanent plastic myki cards, now used for a quarter of public transport trips in Melbourne, will become the only valid public transport ticket.

By following Deloitte's recommendation, the government's Transport Ticketing Authority has been left holding the 50 million tickets.

It had continued to stockpile the tickets until mid-2010, in preparation for Metcard to be switched off.

Some of the tickets - perhaps 200,000 of them a month according to an industry source - can be used aboard buses in six regional Victorian towns where myki is valid.

But the government plans to abolish short-term tickets even in these towns at the same time Metcard is switched off. It is likely the 50 million tickets in storage will ultimately be pulped.

Abolishing all single-use public transport tickets when myki replaces Metcard will leave tourists and occasional train, tram or bus users unable to travel unless they have a non-refundable $10 smartcard.

Melbourne will be one of the world's only cities where visitors and occasional users cannot buy a short-term ticket.

However, the decision to dump short-term tickets will help the government reduce myki's complexity and cut its operating cost.

''The decision to not have short-term tickets as part of the myki system is estimated to save in the order of $30 million dollars,'' Transport Ticketing Authority chief executive Bernie Carolan said.

The decision to scrap single-use tickets has also upended plans for myki vending machines on trams. This has left close to 500 vending machines, bought around 2008, also in storage, still in their crates.

Mr Carolan said the government was investigating whether the vending machines could now instead be installed at railway stations, on tram ''superstops'', or at busy bus interchanges.

News of the stockpiled tickets and vending machines comes as the Transport Ticketing Authority's chairwoman resigned.

Former Department of Human Services secretary Patricia Faulkner, appointed last March, will leave the authority's board this month.

301 comments

$10 for even the shortest trip? What great news for tourists, occasional visitors and of course the poor! But we don't think about them, do we? You can bet no one from the consultants form ever had to beg for a ticket from an emergency relief agency...

Commenter

djc

Date and time

September 05, 2011, 7:14AM

What a Joke!! So every person living in Melbourne or visiting Melbourne has to now spend an extra $10 to have the right to use public transport? If this is not a money grabbing exercise I don't know what is. Melbourne you have turned into an utter disgrace...

Commenter

Glen

Location

Auckland

Date and time

September 05, 2011, 7:17AM

Idiots

Commenter

JD

Location

Melb

Date and time

September 05, 2011, 7:19AM

The decision to keep Myki was horrible... now look at all the knock-on ones Big Ted has made. For crying out loud when are we going to bite the bullet and scrap this whole farce or a system?

Commenter

alpha

Location

St. Kilda

Date and time

September 05, 2011, 7:21AM

Say good-bye to that "most liveable city" rating. Who in their right mind would make it impossible for tourists to take public transport? Is it because our PT is so appalling that they don't want tourists to see what we have to put up with? So, let's see, so far the Baillieu government has written off our green wedges, pushed all wind energy contracts out of Victoria, slashed the solar tariff, and said rack off to indigenous welcomes. Now public transport is about to get even worse. Trying to give Kennett a run for the worst premier, are you Ted? Maybe we should stop focussing on the train wreck that is Canberra and start putting more pressure on Spring Street to perform in the interest of Victorians.

Commenter

luke

Location

Melb

Date and time

September 05, 2011, 7:22AM

Won't someone think of the children?! How do families now visit Melbourne? It would cost us $60 to get cards!

Say goodbye to the tourist dollars.

Commenter

family

Location

not Melbourne

Date and time

September 05, 2011, 7:22AM

Single use tickets should be retained for all forms of public transport.

Isn't that obvious?

When in Queensland last year I thought it bad enough that their public transport system rips you off by charging you more if you don't have a smart card. But at least you can get around without a smart card.

Almost every decision this government makes is mindless and ultimately - directly or indirectly - leads to a blow to the environment (in this case making harder to use public transport).

Commenter

Ross

Location

Preston

Date and time

September 05, 2011, 7:26AM

Can I say the obvious - a visitor to Melbourne flies in and wants to see Melbourne by public transport for a couple of days. They have to pay $10 just for the privilege of buying tickets? That's freaking ridiculous.

Where are the brains and logic in this? I love the myki concept for regular use. But for once off it's ridiculous. What's wrong with making them refundable? Say you pick one up at the station or ticket outlet. If you return it within 2 weeks or something like that you get your $10 back. That would solve it for people visiting.

Commenter

susie

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

September 05, 2011, 7:34AM

Good one Ted, Dump $15mill down the gurgler of tax payer's money, The coffers must be overflowing at spring street.Can anybody tell me how mutch has been spent on the myki system since it's inception.

Commenter

union-blues

Location

Warburton

Date and time

September 05, 2011, 7:35AM

where's the secret myki report that these decisions are based on? http://goo.gl/84EnK